The year 2020 was a very difficult year for the independent cinema. 2 years after the Covid Pandemic has started, we’ve got a number of closed movie theaters, stopped production and the rise of online streaming services.
However, despite all this, quite a few LGBTQ+ themed movies were produced in the last 2 years. Here are 10 films that portray various LGBTQ+ issues:
Maschile singolare (2021) Italy
Maschile singolare is a 2021 film by Italian directors Alessandro Guida and Mateo Pilat. It tells a story of a young gay man, Antonio, who decides to start a new life after divorcing his husband, Lorenco.
The movie beautifully portrays relationship difficulties and asks a question once again: Is it okay to give up one’s own future and independence for a marriage?
Firebird (2020), Estonia, UK
Firebird is another queer movie that premiered this spring, that tells a story of forbidden love. Sergey and Roman are soldiers in the USSR army during the cold war, as they develop feelings toward each other.
The main role in the melodrama is played by Tom Prior, with some unforgettable scenes. The film has received some positive reviews from the film critics.
My First Summer (2020) Australia
My First Summer is a 2020 film of coming of age genre, that tells a story of 2 adolescent girls that fall in love. 16-year-old Claudia that is brought up away from the outside world is going through a tough time. Her mother has passed away and she is trying to deal with the loss. Everything changes after she meets Grace.
Well Rounded (2020) Canada
Well Rounded is a 61-minute documentary, the creator and director of which is a Canadian comedian Candy Palmater. The documentary tells stories about LGBTQ+ people that apart from homophobia are dealing with racism and aggressive attitudes toward overweight people. The stories told in the documentary are horrible at first glance, but at the same time, telling these stories out loud is revolutionary, liberating, radical, and will inevitably bring positive results in the future.
Cured (2021) America
1950ies and 1960ies were extremely difficult times for the American and non-American queer society. During this time being a LGBTQ+ community member meant that a person could lose their job, be exiled from the society and at worst – have to go through the shock treatment.
Cured is a documentary in which gender researchers, activists and historians discuss these decades. Despite this, the movie shows some unique footage that has never been accessible to the public before and stories of the people that fought for the freedom of the queer community at those times.
Cowboys (2021) America
Cowboys is another by the director Anna Kerrigan. It’s about one American family, the father of which is trying to protect his transgender child both from the world that is not friendly with such people and from the mother, who finds it difficult to accept her little boy.
In this cliché-free movie, besides remarkable acting, we see beautiful landscapes of montana, and such topics as: mental health, the problems of young transgender individuals and the process of acceptance in families.
Where Love Lives (2021) UK
Where Love Lives is another documentary that tells us the history of the legendary club Glitterbox, the dance floor and the meaning of those queer places that are a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ individuals.
In this movie, the pioneers of the dance floor and DJs – Honey Dijon, TeTe Bang, Lucy Fizz da Jellybean tell us about their experience. We also see the actor of Pose, Bill Porter, who says that the only thing that saved his life was the dance floor.
The Dose (La Daosis) (2020) – Spain
The Dose is an Argentine thriller released in 2020. The action in the film takes place in the palliative department and the main character is Marcos, a night shift caretaker who secretly helps sick patients with euthanasia. The action in the homoerotic mystical thriller intensifies after young Gabriel starts working in the clinic, who is categorically against euthanasia and towards whom Marcos experiences conflicting feelings.
Kiss Me Before It Blows Up (Kiss Me Kosher) (2020) Germany, Israel
Kiss Me Before It Blows Up ისრაელი რეჟისორის, შირელ პელეგის 2020 წლის ფილმია, რომელიც გენდერის, რელიგიის, რასისა და ქვიარ სიყვარულის საინტერესო გადააზრებას გვთავაზობს. ფილმში მოქმედება თელ-ავივში მიმდინარეობს, ბარის მეპატრონე შირა გადაწყვეტს, რომ თავის ებრაულ ოჯახს გააცნოს გერმანელი საცოლე, მარია, რაც ოჯახის წევრებს შორის კონფლიქტს იწვევს და ქორწინების მართებულობას ეჭვქვეშ აყენებს.
Sweetheart (2021) UK
One of the highlights of the Glasgow Film Festival is the comedy Sweetheart coming of age, which tells the story of 17-year-old AJ who does not want to spend a vacation with her family at the beach, where there is no Wi-Fi and no entertainment for the weird 17-year-old AJ.
AJ is doomed to spend days with her family in boredom, however everything changes after the girl meets Isla and she develops some romantic feelings towards her.
